Rewind

Chapter 27

"Hey Tara?"

The last thing Tara wanted to hear was the concerned sound of Lyla's voice as she hurried to drop Abel off at the clubhouse before work. She stopped, an annoyed sigh leaving her lips, and glanced over her shoulder.

"Hey Lyla," she forced a smile. "I was just leaving."

"You see Jax?" Lyla asked

That piqued Tara's interest. "Yeah, he was in the apartment. Why?"

"Opie didn't come home last night," Lyla whinnied. "He's been weird lately and now this."

"I don't know," Tara said apologetically. "I can ask Jax for you?"

"I think he was at the cabin," Gemma said, interrupting the conversation she'd been eavesdropping on. "Nothing big, crashed after a busy night around there."

"Oh," Lyla frowned. "Okay. Th-thanks."

They chatted awkwardly for a moment before Lyla left, less concerned and angry but certainly more upset.

"Was he really at the cabin?" Tara asked Gemma with a suspicious look.

She shook her head. "He did take Macy home last night," Gemma told Tara quietly. "I'm not sure where he ended up but it wasn't club business."

"Great," Tara groaned. "This is going to end badly."

"Doesn't it always with that girl?" Gemma complained. "I should have known she'd turn to him after a while."

"I thought she'd be over him by now," Tara said with a sigh.

"Over who?" Jax asked, startling both women as he came home behind them.

"You know where Opie was last night?" Gemma asked.

Shaking his head, Jax shrugged. "No. He took Macy up and then," he stopped mid sentence. "Shit."

"Exactly," Gemma said with a click of her tongue.

"I'll talk to him," Jax said dutifully.

"Cause that worked so well last time," Tara said in a song song voice. "I'll be home late."

"Love you," he said, his lips turning into a wicked grin as he moved to kiss her.

"Yeah, love you too," she said in a playfully exasperated tone.  Tara hurried away leaving Jax and his mother alone to talk candidly.

"What are you really going to do?" Gemma asked Jax.

"I was going to ask you the same shit," he laughed. "I guess I'll just tell him the truth."

Gemma looked at him with horror. "Are you serious? Jackson, no."

"Ma," he huffed. "Let me handle it."

Pursing her lips, Gemma nodded in agreement although they both knew she disapproved. "Let me know how it goes."

"Of course," he said, kissing her cheek. "I'll talk to you tonight."

Watching as Jax swaggered out of the clubhouse, Gemma felt a pit form in her stomach. Things had been going too well for too long and now she feared everything would crash down around them.

With a cigarette between his lips and a small stack of photos in his right hand, Jax waited outside the cabin. He heard footsteps from around the side of the porch so flicking his cigarette away he headed in that direction.

"Hey Frank," Jax said, extending his hand.

"Cut the shit, Teller," Shane snapped. "Where are they?"